Longevity begins with alchemy master

【The Origin of Water 9/100】

Looking at this entry, Luo Chen was momentarily stunned.

Having cultivated immortality for over five hundred years and refined his body for three hundred years, he is nearly nine hundred years old and has mastered countless divine skills and techniques, as well as numerous arts of immortal cultivation.

The once sparse attribute panel is now filled with entries, as numerous as the stars.

As a result, some of the achievements made in the past have been submerged in countless entries and are completely inconspicuous.

Even though he repeatedly compressed and hid unimportant entries, there were still many left.

For example, when comprehending the four laws of the Five Elements, Luo Chen, in order to save trouble, simply compiled the other three origins together except for the [True Meaning of Withering and Flourishing], and directly referred to them as [Water, Fire, and Earth].

The reason for this arrangement is not only to save trouble, but also because the progress of the three origins of enlightenment is at the starting point, without any different factors.

But at some point... perhaps while Luo Chen was focused on his cultivation, the term "Origin of Water" was listed separately.

There is only one possibility for this to happen.

That is, its progress is different from other entries.

as predicted!

Luo Chen glanced over and saw that the two fundamental elements of fire and earth were still at the starting point of [1/100].

Only the Water Origin has eight extra progress points.

While surprised, Luo Chen even felt a sense of horror.

He had not engaged in any cultivation related to understanding the laws in the Great Destruction Realm, and he didn't even have spiritual energy, so how could he have deepened his understanding of the laws?

Moreover, Luo Chen was quite certain that before entering the Nine Heavens Immortal Tower and before cultivating the Nine Rings of Annihilation, he had looked at the attribute panel once, and it wasn't like this back then.

"The Law... Annihilation of the Nine Rings!"

Suddenly.

Luo Chen remembered something.

In the void, Luo Chen stopped his journey back to Li Chen Island and immediately sat cross-legged in the Chaos Sea.

His entire being was absorbed into his body, and even his long-dormant main soul was partially revived.

All attention turned to the automatically operating Hunyuan Cauldron.

Upon closer inspection, Luo Chen was astonished to discover a faint blue light emanating from the cauldron's surface. This blue light originated from the paintings on the inner and outer walls of the Hunyuan Cauldron.

The murals depict mountains and rivers, with birds soaring and animals roaming everywhere.

Each of them is incredibly lifelike, but ultimately they are not living beings.

Only the streams, rivers, and seas are so vibrant and alive, they seem to be real.

Upon seeing this, Luo Chen was startled.

Through the connection between his mind and his natal magic weapon, he instantly realized what this symbol meant.

"The essence of water has been perfected!"

"No!"

"It should be phrased differently: the Hunyuan Cauldron has gathered the essence of water, and it possesses a complete source of laws!"

In the Land of Ruins, the Great Dao is incomplete, and the laws are broken.

Therefore, apart from cultivation methods that focus on refining the physical body, no other cultivation system can continue.

Luo Chen already knew this.

In fact, when he first entered the Ninth Ring of Destruction, he discovered that while the Primordial Cauldron was absorbing chaotic energy, it was also absorbing some of the barely visible fragments of laws.

However, those fragments were too small and too few, and after the initial surprise, Luo Chen didn't pay much attention to them.

More than a hundred years later

Unbeknownst to anyone, the Hunyuan Cauldron had silently gathered all the fragments of the laws of the origin of water, constructing a complete set of primordial laws.

"If that's really the case, then all the extra water essence I have is what the Primordial Cauldron fed back after it was full?"

Luo Chen made this conjecture.

But this conjecture surprised him even more.

Back in the Mountain and Sea Realm, long after he first comprehended the true meaning of the laws, he had exchanged ideas with others at the Shouyang Dao Forum, asking how to enhance his understanding of the true meaning of the laws.

He received very few answers at that time.

However, over the next few hundred years, Luo Chen gradually mastered the relevant cultivation knowledge.

In the universe, there are three thousand great paths and countless laws.

The Great Dao encompasses laws, and many laws of the same origin converge to form the Great Dao.

For example, the true meaning of decay and prosperity that Luo Chen first comprehended was just one of the true meanings of the laws contained in the Great Dao of Wood.

To truly master the Great Way of Wood, one must also comprehend the origin of Wood and the true meaning of many laws related to the Way of Wood.

Among the many true meanings of the laws, the power of origin stands out as particularly unique.

It is not something that can be grasped by chance, but rather something that needs to be accumulated little by little through daily practice.

Furthermore, this cultivation process has been summarized and refined by generations of sages, forming a complete path.

The Nascent Soul stage is the starting point, but it doesn't mean that once a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, they can directly cultivate the power of origin. They can only use this key to control the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

The cultivation of the primordial spirit through the transformation of the spirit and the condensation of the Dharma form through the refinement of the void are actually just laying the foundation for cultivating the power of origin.

Only by refining emptiness and merging with the Dao, transforming the false into the true, and uniting the Dharma form and the primordial spirit into one, can one lay a solid foundation for cultivating the origin.

In a sense, the three realms of Deity Transformation, Void Refinement, and Body Integration can all be seen as the "foundation building period" on the path of cultivation.

After merging, cultivators are no longer afraid of getting lost in the ocean of primordial energy, nor are they afraid of the assimilation danger brought about by constantly activating the power of origin. They can openly seize the origin of laws from heaven and earth.

Once one achieves great success, one enters the Mahayana stage.

At this time, the lifespan of the cultivator will reach an era, enough to live as long as the heavens, hence they are revered as the Great Vehicle Heavenly Venerable!

This is what surprised Luo Chen.

Leaving aside whether he can cultivate immortality and refine qi now, his previous realm was only the Nascent Soul stage. He couldn't even grasp the origin of heaven and earth, let alone condense a Dharma body.

But now it has begun to absorb the power of origin.

This is equivalent to cultivating across two major realms!
Moreover, he wasn't cultivating himself; the Hunyuan Cauldron was "cultivating" for him!
Luo Chen didn't know if there were any risks involved; he only knew that it completely defied all common sense.

If this were to get out, countless races and powerful figures would probably absolutely not believe it.

The source of all these strange changes was none other than his natal magic weapon, the Hunyuan Cauldron, which had absorbed that wisp of light of order!

Luo Chen stared at the small gray cauldron, which had three legs, two handles, and a round belly.

What grade should be used to classify the current Hunyuan Cauldron?
The real artifact is naturally impossible.

Lingbao... Lingbao is merely an enlarged version of a true artifact that has developed sentience and greatly increased its killing power; it can never reach this level.

What about the Heavenly Treasure?
Luo Chen pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly.

He had seen the Heavenly Treasure; the Heavenly Refining Cauldron left behind by the Heavenly Refining Demon Lord was of the Heavenly Treasure grade.

Such treasures, nurtured by their owners over many years, gradually acquire the power of laws and are said to be able to reach the heavens, but in reality, they are far from having a complete law contained within them.

A celestial artifact?

Luo Chen is currently inside a celestial artifact.

Nine-Layered Immortal Tower!

In the past, he might have viewed magical artifacts with a biased perspective.

But now it seems that immortal artifacts are just weapons made of better materials and powered by more advanced energy.

For some reason, a word popped into Luo Chen's mind.

"A Dao artifact?"

Legend has it that when the world was first created and chaos was evolving, some innate treasures were born in the vast world.

The powerful ones inherently possess the laws and principles of Dao, and are themselves Dao artifacts.

Even the weak will come with corresponding characteristics. If one or two of these are added when refining magical artifacts, their effects will be immeasurable.

Luo Chen had previously obtained a weak innate treasure.

Its name is Xirang, which was extracted from the Five Elements Pagoda, a magic treasure of the Five Elements Divine Sect's ancestor. It was a very small amount, but it greatly improved the quality of the Hunyuan Cauldron.

Looking at it now, the Hunyuan Cauldron does indeed somewhat match the description of the legendary Dao artifact.

Having its own complete origin of laws, isn't it also carrying the essence of laws and principles?
Moreover! Luo Chen opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

The surging chaotic energy almost formed an ocean.

Could this be considered a state of "the beginning of heaven and earth, the evolution of chaos"?
The Hunyuan Cauldron was formed under these circumstances, condensing the complete source of water!

Therefore, it is very likely that it is a Dao artifact, or at least it has the prototype of a Dao artifact!

Upon thinking of this, Luo Chen's heart could no longer remain calm.

Even an ordinary spiritual treasure is something that cultivators dream of.

The emergence of the Heavenly Treasure will undoubtedly bring about a great deal of bloodshed and chaos.

If it were a celestial artifact, the entire realm would probably fight tooth and nail for it.

But he possessed a Dao artifact!
"Such a precious treasure must never be known to outsiders, otherwise it will surely bring great trouble."

Overwhelmed with emotion, it took him a long time to calm down.

He glanced around and then hurriedly returned to Lichen Island.

……

In the days that followed, Luo Chen focused all his attention on cultivation.

While ostensibly engaged in cultivation, he also harbored the intention of observing the Hunyuan Cauldron.

With each cultivation session, the Hunyuan Cauldron was activated.

As a large amount of chaotic energy was being transformed, the Hunyuan Cauldron continued to absorb those inexplicable and unknowable fragments of laws.

Luo Chen had no idea how fast or slow it was.

However, he can easily deduce something from the changes in the terms on his attribute panel.

The first thing to be complete was the source of water, which then fed back the source power of the water system. However, the speed was somewhat slow. More than 20 years have passed, and it has only increased from [9/100] to [10/100].

Next is the Origin of Earth, because the term "Origin of Earth" is listed separately on Luo Chen's panel and has increased to [2/100].

Finally, there is the origin of fire, which is the main path that Luo Chen has cultivated throughout his hundreds of years of cultivation.

But unexpectedly, he finally received the backing of the Hunyuan Cauldron.

As for Luo Chen's earliest understanding of the withering and flourishing of wood, there was no reaction whatsoever.

Luo Chen didn't know if it was because the Hunyuan Cauldron hadn't gathered all the true meanings of these laws, or because the high-level true meanings of laws related to comprehension wouldn't provide feedback; in any case, the progress bar remained completely still.

After observing for a long time, Luo Chen was happy, but the initial ecstasy and shock were gone.

Because it's too slow!
It takes more than twenty years to give back even a little bit. Even if you give him another two or three hundred years, it will only give back a little bit at most.

It doesn't even reach the level of having all the necessary laws to escape the Void.

This incredible opportunity seems to have come to an end after a brief taste.

Luo Chen was somewhat unwilling, but he had no choice but to accept it.

According to what the Lord of Worry-Free Realm said, they only have two hundred years left.

"We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die!"

The fundamental laws are difficult to master, and although the martial arts realm seems to advance by leaps and bounds, it is stuck in the bottleneck of the late stage of the Human Immortal realm.

To escape this prison, he must find another way.

An object appeared in Luo Chen's hand.

It was the map left behind by the Lord of Worry-Free Realm before he left, and he and Gu Xun both made a copy from Fang Qingxue.

"Ancient God's Dojo?"

Luo Chen muttered to himself.

……

Si Gu Island.

Gu Xun hosted a banquet for Luo Chen and Fang Qingxue.

In the midst of their drinking and lively conversation, they chatted about all sorts of random topics.

Luo Chen did most of the talking.

The content is about his past experiences in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and his observations of the Mystic Realm that he learned from others or from ancient texts.

As Gu and Fang listened, longing appeared in their eyes.

"After achieving the realm of Human Immortal, I once traveled to Guixu."

"I have seen stars fall, witnessed bone mountains, and visited several small human settlements, such as the Azure Sky Tower Forest and the Abyss of Sorrow. All of these seem vast, but in reality, they are cramped. Compared to the vast universe you speak of, Fellow Daoist Luo, this Ruins of Return is far too small."

Luo Chen had long known that the Ruins of Return were not limited to the seventy-two cities of the Great Destruction Realm, but were also a human settlement.

Beyond the Great Cataclysm Realm, there are also the Immortal Realm of Corpses, the Sea of ​​Stars, some small settlements, and some mysterious and eerie ruins.

The ancient god's dojo that the Lord of Worry-Free Realm is going to explore this time is one of them.

These humans gathered together not only for mutual support, but also, like the Lord of the Worry-Free Realm, to find a way out of the Ruins of Return.

The Great Destruction Realm contains a Gate of Destruction, which holds a one in a billion chance of leading to the outside world.

A sea of ​​stars, countless broken stars scattered across the sky like an ocean. Legend has it that when all the stars fall, one can escape the Void by following the guidance of starlight.

The Sky Tower Forest, reaching straight to the heavens, is blocked by endless lightning.

The Abyss of Sorrow stretches deep into the earth, and to this day, no one has explored its end.

……

In these places, there is hope of leaving, and there are also martial arts masters who are in charge of the area.

The strong are not weak, nor are they carefree rulers.

Even the weakest among them are at least at the level of a martial arts immortal.

Therefore, to travel through the Ruins of Return, one must at least possess the strength of a Human Immortal.

"The century-long period will come again, and I, Luo, would like to follow in the footsteps of Fellow Daoist Gu and travel around."

During a casual conversation, Luo Chen brought up this plan.

Gu and Fang were caught off guard.

Luo Chen frankly told him, "My cultivation has reached a bottleneck. Perhaps if I cultivate diligently for another one or two hundred years in the Nine Rings of Annihilation, I may be able to break through. But by then, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to leave, so this trip is inevitable."

Gu Xun and Fang Qingxue looked at each other, somewhat at a loss for words.

The breakthrough Luo Chen mentioned is probably the next major realm.

It's truly rare to achieve a breakthrough in such a short time.

But the other party was still not satisfied.

However, it's understandable that they're not satisfied.

Time waits for no one!

Even if one manages to break through to the sixth level of Body Refinement, the Annihilation Realm, so what?
Wasn't the Lord of the Worry-Free Realm in that realm? Yet he was still forced to abandon the Gate of Destruction he was holding onto and go elsewhere to seek opportunities.

"Will you come back?" Fang Qingxue asked softly.

Luo Chen nodded emphatically, "If we don't perish outside and can't find a way out, we will naturally come back."

"If you leave, who will maintain this Nine-Layered Immortal Tower? Or will it be shut down directly, as Lord Wuyou planned?" Gu Xun continued to ask.

Luo Chen smiled slightly, "You don't need to worry about this. I have a way to keep the Nine Heavens Immortal Tower running even after I leave. You can also continue to cultivate in the Nine Rings of Destruction."

Gu Xun and Fang Qingxue exchanged a glance, feeling a sense of relief.

"So good!"

"Give me a few more decades, and I'll be able to break through to the late stage of the Human Immortal Realm."

The two then raised their glasses.

"Wishing you a safe journey, fellow Daoist/Brother Luo!"

Luo Chen raised his glass in a toast to celebrate their century-long friendship.

Setting down his cup, Luo Chen raised his head and looked up.

"Before leaving, I'd like to take a look at that door." (End of Chapter)